DECLINE IN MORAL STANDARDS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 91, 4 May 1937, Page 6

DECLINE IN MORAL STANDARDS

— Press Association.)

Bishop Condemns Evils of To-day CHALLENGE T0 CHURCHES

(B» TelegrB.ph

MASTERTON, May 3, rflthe steep decline in the moral standards of the average life to-day was one of the most serious aspects that had to be considered, and one which forced itself more upon us," stated the Bishop of Wellington, the, Bt. Rev. H. St. Barbe Hqlland, in an address in Masterton to-night. It was possible, said the Bishop, to estimate the force of religion in a country by the moral standards pre* vailing.» When he arrived in New Zealand he had been told that there had been more or less a eyclonic disturbance of the whole moral life of the country. A new type of morality seemed to have clawed into the fibre of the nations, forcing out the old Christian view of life and morals. They would have to fight this new menaee, he declared Referring to the recent Government report on ahortlon in the Dominion, his Lordship described ahortion as a festering sore in the life of the nation, and said that it constituted the biggest challeuge to the church that it could possibly have had. The appalling revelations of the conditions exist- - ing in the country had to be heeded. When he questioned what was wrong with the moral standards oi the nation, he realised that there might be a lot in thu stories of the moral evils of dances, of excessive drinking in cars during dances, and of the general lack of moral ideals v of sex and of the Christian ideal of parenthood. The position was a ringing challenge to' the churches, which .were the one body that could stop the spread of the malady in the country. The only cure was the religious cure. The churches should try to insist on a higher standard. "We have heen given a direct challenge," continued his. Lordship. "What are we going to do about it? What good can come of holding public meetings and passing pious resOlutions? We might just as well play a set of tennis cr a game of bridge. It is a job for the Christian citizens of New Zealand. Leave it to the parsons and I am afraid that very little will be done, We are too limited in our actions. Our views are always suspect because, I think, it is'our job. If we epeak against ideas of prennptial intercourse they say that it is just parson ' clap-trap ' and that our ideas are contrary to the new ideas of the nation 's manhoodi'' His Lordship said that we should try eo con'sider how the churches as a whole could improve the standards of the country 's morals and how they could combat. the f alse philosophies of life. "It is the growing generation that I am . frightened of," remarked the Bishop "if they are brought up on free love." Once sex morality went, that was the end of the nation. It was the first time he had spoken on the subject as he felt he should not do so until the Government report was published. The position, however, made him very sad, and it seemed to him that the need for raising the moral standards was a challenge to us all — a challenge to all that was the finest and best in ideals of Christianity and manhood. It was the man outside the influence of the church they wanted, and he urged: "Let's go out and get him. You can do that, if you have concern, and true concern means love."